Questions from Women in Clothes- Taste vs. Style

Question: Do you think you have taste or style? Which one is more important? What do these words mean to you?


I think I have more style than taste. Over the years I've kind of figured out what I like and looks good on me and my body type. For me, style trumps taste. It is about how a person knows and defines herself. And it informs each decision in dressing. Style cares less about what others think and more about being true to oneself.

Taste references the product- the shoe, the dress, the watch- and often is related to price. It can also be bound by rules. "Good taste" may define whether a woman over 50 wears a short skirt. In that way it's related to societal norms and one's interest in fitting in. What is "tasteful" to one may be anathema to another. There are times that my taste has faltered and it's usually when I'm not being true to myself or am unduly influenced by other people or fashion magazines. But I don't think that these occasional blips have had any effect on my style.

An example would be this dress that I wore to an outdoor botanical exhibit in Tucson, Arizona. I had recently cut the pompons from the hemline because they kept falling off. I hadn't tried on the dress after the alteration. When I put the dress on and walked into the room where my friends were waiting, I saw a visible eyebrow raising on its length. I'm 64 years old. Many women my age don't wear their hemlines above their knee. I also know that my legs are my best feature and I was okay with the length. To me, it had no bearing on my age.

Question: Do you have style in any other areas of your life aside from fashion?

I believe that every facet of my life reflects my personal style. My home, particularly. I surround myself with things that I love- art, souvenirs from travel, interesting pottery, the color on the walls, the linens- everything! Each is a choice that reflects who I am. It gets tricky when you're married to someone whose style is different than yours. Luckily for me, my husband doesn't care to get involved in decorating the house but does like to be involved in major purchases like paintings or big electronics. Luckily we have similar taste in art so that helps. We recently bought a high rise condo in downtown Los Angeles where he stays during the week. He made the choices in the decor- very spare, modern, clean lines. It's his environment. We're lucky to have two separate spaces where we can explore our own style.

Carl's clean contemporary style

My funky eclectic style